Daniel w



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

- D. W. SMITH.

CABLE GRIP FOR (JARS.

' Patented Mar. 1, 1887.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model) D. W. SMITH. CABLE GRIP FOR CARS.

3703. Patented Mar. 1, 18187.

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DANIEL \V. SMITH OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO FRANK J. DONOVAN, OF SAME PLACE.

CALE GRIP FOR CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 358,708, dated March 1, 1887.

Application filed July 22, 1886. Serial No. 908,766. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL W. SMITH, of the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, and a citizen of the United States, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement n Cable-Grips for Cars, of which the followmg is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawmgs, forming part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is aside view of the gripping devlce, showing a part'of the frame-work of the car (in which it has bearing) in longitudinal section. Fig. 2 is an end view of the device, showing the top of the cable-channel in transverse section. Fig. 3 is a detail transverse section at 3 3, Fig. 2, showing the bearing of a grlp-frame turning in the car frame or body. Fig. 4. is a part sideview showing the parts in elevated position. Fig. 5 is a part side view of thelower part in gripping position, and Fig. 6 is an end view of the same. Fig. 7 is a side view of the movable gripping'jaw. Fig. 8 is a section at 8 8, Fig. 7.

A A are parts of the car-frame, having bearing-pieces B B, formed with V-shaped cavities for the reception of the extremities O G of the frame D, which are formed on their under sides with knife-edges, whereby the grip is allowed a slight oscillatory movement transversely to the length of the car. I am aware that grip-frames have been mounted upon circular trunnions turning in journal-boxes for permitting similar motion, and do not claim such, broadly, as my invention. There are advantages arising from the simple construction employed by me, among which may be men tioned the facility for removing the grip bodily for repairing it. To the horizontal longitudinal frame I) is attached a vertical frame, E.

F is a vertical bar sliding in bearings G at the upper and lower ends of the frame E, and having at its lower end the upper grip-jaw, H. This jaw has a wheel, I, whose gudgeons turn in blocks which bear against springs, so as to allow the wheel to retreat and the fixed part of the jaw to come in contact with the cable J. The construction is indicated by dotted lines in Fig. .6, and is shown clearly in Figs. 7 and 8 in relation to the lower (mow able) jaw, whose construction is similar in this particular.

The vertical bar F is held in its normal (lower) position, as seen in Fig. l, by spring jaws or detents K, which engage in notches F of the bar, and which have bearing in the frame E. \Vhen it'is desired to hold these jaws out of engagement with the bar F, it is done by a keeper-ring, K, which embraces their upper ends, as shown in Fig. 4.. y

L L are two cross-heads which slide freely on the bar F. These cross-heads are connected by side rods or links, M M.

N is the hand-lever by which the grip is operated. N is the fulcrum-shaft 0f the handlever, to which are secured arms 0, connected by links 1? to the cross-head L, so that as the lever N is swung upward or downward the cross-heads L and L are moved vertically on the bar F.

Q Q are connecting rods or links by which the cross-head L is connected to the arm It of the bent lever B, by which the lower grip jaw, S, is moved. These links Q and arms It will be seen to constitute a toggleconnection between the movable j aw and the slide which operates it. This jaw is connected to the fixed jaw H by a hinge, S, so that it is movable from position shown in Fig. 2 to that shown in Fig. 6. The connection between the jaw S and the lever B is by means of pins S in the ends of the jaws which are in slots R of the arms It of the forked lever It.

s is a wheel whose gudgeons turn in boxes 3, movable in ways .9, bearing on springs 8 by which the wheel is forced outward. (See Figs. 7 and 8.) The arrangementis such that the wheel retreats into the jaw in the same manner as the wheel 2' of the jaw I when a full pressure is brought on the cable.

The bearing-faces Y of the grip-blocks are made detachable and formed of copper or some metal which will not injure the cable. These blocks are attached to the body of the blocks by screws or by any other suitable means.

T is a bent lever composed of two members,

and having forked arms T T. The arms T are connected by the rod U with the arm B, so that the lever T is actuated by the lever B. The arms T carry a wheel, V, upon which the cable may be carried when the jaw S is thrown from beneath it, as shown in Fig. 2.

The end of the rod U which is connected to the arm R, I prefer to make with more than one pin-hole, a, so that the position of the wheel V relatively to the jaw S may be regulated. This position is such that if the wheel V is made to take the place of the jaw S by a rapid movement, the cable falls upon the wheel V, whereas if the parts S V are both moved to an intermediate position the cable drops between them. It will be seen that the arrangement is such that the parts are moved into the gripping position (as shown in Fig. 6 and by dotted lines in Fig. 2) by lifting the free end of the hand-lever N. The handlever is held in position by a catch, N engaging the teeth of a curved guide, a, the catch having a usual lifting-rod, N worked by a spring-lever, N*, as usual.

I will now describe the manner of lifting the grip so as to pass over a cable crossing above its own cable.

W is a dog, which is hinged to a side rod, M, normally held away from the bar F by a spring, X. The bar F has a notch, f, into which the end of the dog is made to enter to engage the side rod, M, with the bar F. The dog is held to its engagement by a pin, W, which is passed through it and through the siderod, M. This dog and notch will be seen to constitute one very simple and effective locking device, whereby the jaws of the grip may be secured together in closed position; but my invention is obviously not necessarily limited to this particular means for accomplishing this result. After the jaws of the grip have been locked together the jaws K K are disengaged from the bar F and held out of engagement by the keeper-ring on their upper ends, as seen in Fig. 4. It will be seen that after this manipulation of the parts, if the lever N is forced downward, the bar F,with the gripping-jaws, will be bodily lifted.

I am aware that a vertically-movable grip is not broadly new; but I believe myself to be the first to devise an arrangement whereby the jaws of the grip may be closed and opened for gripping and releasing the cable or the whole grip elevated to clear a cross-cable by one and the same operating-lever.

The hand-lever N is shown in a position considerably inclined from the vertical. It may be arranged to work in any preferred position.

which they are supported, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with the two jaws of a grip and a vertically-movable bar by which they are supported, of a single operating-lever, means for holding said bar against vertical movement while the lever is being moved to close the jaws, and a lock for securing the jaws in closed condition whilethe lever is being moved to elevate the grip, substantially as set forth.

3. A cable-grip for cars having a bar, F, carrying the grip-jaws, having endwise movement in its supporting-frame, and held in position by jaws K K, substantially as set forth.

4. In combination, an upright bar carrying at its lower end fixed gripping-jaws, and forming the guide of a sliding frame, L L M M, having link-connection with the hand-lever N and toggle-connection with the movable grip-j aw, substantially as set forth.

5. In combination, an upright bar, F, carrying the fixed grip jaw at its lower end, and forming the guide for a sliding frame con nected with the hand-lever N, and having toggle-connection with the movable grip-jaw and with the cable-support wheel V, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination of the bar F, sliding frame L L M M, hand-lever connected with the frame, and the holding-dogs K and W, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. The combination, with a grip, of a supporting-frame, D, having knife-edges formed on the under side of its extremities C, and bearing-pieces supported by the car-frame and having the V- shaped cavities, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination, with the two jaws ofa grip and a vertical bar by which they are supported, of a single operating-lever having connections with the movable jaw, a detent for holding said bar against movement while the lever is being moved to close the jaws, and a lock for securing the jaws in closed condition while the lever is moved in the opposite direction to elevate the bar, substantially asset forth.

9. The combination, withthe two jaws of a grip and a vertical bar by which they are supported, of a single operating-lever having connection with the slide of the movable jaw, and a locking-dog for securing said bar and slide together, whereby a movement of the operating-lever will move the whole grip, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

10. The combination, with the upper jaw, a swinging arm to which the lower jaw is secured, and means for moving the lower jaw away from the upper jaw, of a second swinging arm and a roller carried thereby, said arms being connected together, so that as the one is carried by the other, and means for moving moved from beneath the cable the other takes said arms, substantially as and for the pur- 10 its place, substantially as set forth. poses set forth.

11. The combination, with the upper jaw, of DANIEL V SMITH.

5 a pair of connected arms pivoted above said jaw and projecting downward on opposite sides Witnesses: of the line of the cable, the movable jaw con- SAML. KNIGHT, nected to one of said arms, a carrying-roller BENJN. A. KNIGHT. 

